Mahir Çağrı (Turkish pronunciation: [maːhiɾ tʃaːɾɯ], born 1962) is a Turkish individual who became an Internet celebrity in 1999. His picture-laden personal homepage, which exclaimed, in broken English, his love of the accordion, travel, and women, was visited by millions and spawned numerous fansites and parodies, one of which was featured on Fox's MadTV (season 5, episode 20). He was also repeatedly parodied in 1999 on episodes of the Late Show with David Letterman, wearing red Speedos and playing ping-pong. Çağrı was ranked #2 in CNET's Top 10 Web fads.[1] The site was also included in PC World's "The 25 Worst Web Sites" list.[2]
Mahir Çağrı | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Born | 1962 (age 61–62) Kars, Turkey |
| Other names | Internet Mahir (Turkish: İnternet Mahir) I kiss you Mahir |
| Years active | 1999—present |
| Known for | Blogging (romance and personal life) |
| Website | www |
Çağrı claimed in various interviews that his personal webpage was hacked, with additions such as "I like sex" embedded into his webpage.[citation needed] The site was originally hosted on the now defunct XOOM web hosting service which advertised Çağrı on its front page during the mania.
Çağrı was used in British TV advertising for smartgroups.com by St. Luke's advertising agency.[3]
Similarities to Borat
editÇağrı has stated that Sacha Baron Cohen's character Borat was based on him, and is therefore owed some sort of royalties for use of his likeness.[4]
See also
editReferences
edit- ^ Wood, Molly. "Top 10 Web fads". CNET. Archived from the original on 22 July 2005. Retrieved 22 July 2005.
- ^ Tynan, Dan (15 September 2006). "The 25 Worst Web Sites". PC World.
- ^ Newland, Francesca (26 May 2000). "St Luke chooses Mahir for Smartgroups spokesman". Campaign magazine.
- ^ "Mahir Cagri - Interview about Borat". YouTube.
External links
edit- I Kiss You at web.archive.org
- News
- Mahir to Borat: I Sue You! - Wired Magazine, 14.11
- The Story Behind The “I Kiss You” Home Page And How It Made Mahir Cagri The World’s First Internet Celebrity - MethodShop
- Evidence for a Mahir vs. Borat Lawsuit - Electronic News Network
- Will the real Borat please stand up? - Reuters January 19, 2007
- "Real Borat" hopes to make film - BBC November 9, 2006
- İnternet Mahir BBC'de: Ben de kendi filmimi yapmak istiyorum